AD(H)D Medications

You're right, MJ, I don't think there's anything wrong with the medicines. I think it's wrong that people use these medicines to escape responsibility.

I was hoping the debate would reach this point. I just read the whole thing and agreed with most of what each of you had to say (sounds like it may not be possible, but it is).
Acceptance of responsibility is one of the biggest problems I see in society today. I'd elaborate right now, but I just had teeth pulled and am still kind of loopy from the anesthesia.

I'm going to have to side with KA on this one even though MJ makes some good points. I was diagnosed with ADHD and was on various drugs for many years culminating in being prescribed Effexor for depression. After about 6 months on Effexor I stopped taking all the drugs altogether. There is a short period (about a week) of pretty awful withdrawl but after that I have never felt better. Strange that I was raised in a family which was divided on the medicines approach and one parent was a minimalist and the other had no problem giving medicines. In my post-parental-care life I have found I enjoy the former approach and I have not been sick at least three years. I don't wash my hands unless I am in a situation where that kind of thing is socially unacceptable or unhealthy for others (i.e. cooking for my house, after pooping, going out to eat, shaking hands, etc.) and I feel that this likely strengthens my immunities to the pathogens in my immediate surroundings.

As for the ADHD, the condition is mental and the solution is mental as well. You have to learn to work with it and not suppress it with drugs because the drugs do not ONLY effect the ADHD condition and there are definitely other effects! My self-esteem was affected and my appetite was suppressed (which led to some strange belittling in school, further exacerbating my insecurities). When I was on the anti-depressants I realized that by actively focusing my attention (I suppose the method is similar in practice to Buddhism) I could, not ignore or suppress, channel the wild mind into a relatively constructive form. I still have trouble following social standards (this really only applies to school, I rarely study unless I am particularly worried and I still do quite well, and I tend to do my assignments the night before, or the minute before!, class because I cannot focus on them unless I absolutely need to). This doesn't really cause me any real trouble and it is only reflected in the attitudes of others around me.

I believe that ADHD is just a result of the over-restricted system that our kids have to endure these days. There are simply personality types that DO NOT FIT in accordance to the American (and other nations) norms. There are school out there which take alternate approaches to learning (you seriously cannot believe that a standardized educational system is going to work, mj) and they can show incredible improvement to the faculties (and "scores") of some (not all, obviously!) children. I think drugs should only be used as an absolute final resort and being more actively involved in your child's mind is a better way to help understand the "adverse" conditions that are present and then it is up to the parents to adjust the environments to try to work WITH the child's tendencies instead of forcing them to adapt which will certainly lead to a social (and no doubt financial) nightmare.

That's all I have to say at the moment but I am sure there is more kicking around. This is a good thread.

Wow, I had no idea you were batshit insane.


JK, I think we all knew.

I am by no means advocating that someone try and substitute pills in place of actual parenting because magic pills don't exist, however what is wrong with taking the easy way out when it works just as well as the alternative, and does not harm anyone?

RS, I am curious, if you believed that ADHD was a biological condition rather than a mental one would it change your opinion on whether or not medicine should be taken to resolve the problem?

Since we had some discussion on depression as well, this is an interesting read:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...1001172838.htm

Alright I didn't read this entire thread because their was alot to read but,

1. !K_A!, Some people are depressed for no reason at all, they have a fine life, a job, etc. but there is a chemical imbalance in their brain that makes them feel sad. Seritonin is the neurotransmitter that controls mood, in people that have this chemical imbalance, the neuron releases Seritonin into the synapse, and Receptor site of the next Neuron "absorbs" as much as possible. For some reason though, the channels of neuron do not hold all of the seritonin released, so when the re-uptake from the origonal neuron happens, it takes in to much, causing an imbalance between the neuron and the receptor site.

This is what the Anti-Depressents are for. They have a technical name of SSRI's which means Selective Seritonin Reputake Inhibitor. So, when they are on the medicine, it blocks some of the channels for the reuptake to take place making it so only some of the seritonin is re-absorbed, balancing out the chemicals. The left overs are then dissolved by enzymes.

I'm not a scientist so don't flame me for not knowing everything, but this is the general idea of what happens..

Alright I didn't read this entire thread because their was alot to read but, 1. !K_A!, Some people are depressed for no reason at all, they have a fine life, a job, etc. but there is a chemical imbalance in their brain that makes them feel sad. Seritonin is the neurotransmitter that controls mood, in people that have this chemical imbalance, the neuron releases Seritonin into the synapse, and Receptor site of the next Neuron "absorbs" as much as possible. For some reason though, the channels of neuron do not hold all of the seritonin released, so when the re-uptake from the origonal neuron happens, it takes in to much, causing an imbalance between the neuron and the receptor site. This is what the Anti-Depressents are for. They have a technical name of SSRI's which means Selective Seritonin Reputake Inhibitor. So, when they are on the medicine, it blocks some of the channels for the reuptake to take place making it so only some of the seritonin is re-absorbed, balancing out the chemicals. The left overs are then dissolved by enzymes. I'm not a scientist so don't flame me for not knowing everything, but this is the general idea of what happens..

I understand that, Spector, and acknowledged it. However, I feel that the majority of people who take anti-depressants aren't in that category. Same with ADHD.

Well in that case, I agree with you

I understand that, Spector, and acknowledged it. However, I feel that the majority of people who take anti-depressants aren't in that category. Same with ADHD.

What are you basing this off of, though? Personal experiences? It may just be that certain people you know flamboyantly display the fact that they are on antidepressants, and these stand out in your mind when making judgments like this. I think your best bet is to read some research journals on the topic and see what the medical community has to say about disparity between those who need the medication and those who take it haphazardly. It may not be as wide a rift as you believe.

I trust my personal experience more than the medical community. The people who make antidepressants, and make money for prescribing antidepressants, are part of the medical community.

It's the same as flu shots. The people who make them will most definately tell you that you should really really get one. They don't tell you that they're nearly ineffective at reducing flu-related illness and they've been possibly linked to the increase in autism in children.

Yes, I'm assuming. Most people I see who take anti-depressants are people who have shitty lives and can't cope with or fix their shitty lives, so they get a prescription to help.